I've Waited For You, Everlong!
by kurama21
Summary: Rurouni, Himura Kenshin travels alone in search of something. When he enters a town and meets a woman protecting her father's name and a man posing as the Hitokiri Battousai, will Kenshin find what he's looking for with this woman or is it happy guessing?


Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters. Any OC characters that seem similar to any person, alive or dead, are purely coincidental. This is a pretty old story I wrote way back in 6th grade. Hope you like it and it's not too confusing to follow.

After The Knight Falls

Chapter 1

"The Kamiya Kasshin School was brought into the Meiji Era by my father who survived the violence of the Bakumatsu. For ten years he fought single-mindedly for his motto, 'The sword that protects life', refusing all murderous aspects. But, as a member of the sword-bearing metropolitan police, he was sent to the southwest war half a year ago. The place where he died was far from the ideal world he had hoped for."

She glared at me with anger as she screamed. "The school left to me by my father, the name of the Kamiya Kasshin School is being degraded by a murderer!! But I guess a Rurouni wouldn't understand…" She finished with tears in her eyes.

I left with only telling her, "I'm sure your honored father wouldn't want his school protected at the cost of his daughter's life, excuse me."

I thought I wasn't going to run into her again but a few days later as I was being arrested for carrying a sword she came running to my side. I was surprised but grateful that I was released; the officer warned he wouldn't be so lenient next time. She asked me if I had unfinished business and I told her I had nothing in particular. I didn't want her to worry about what I was doing in town when she was risking her life to find whoever was posing as me, Hitokiri Battousai.

As I spoke to Miss. Kaoru I felt uneasy about her housekeeper. He was suspicious, leaving right after listening to Miss. Kaoru explain that she was close to finding out who the imposter was.

"It's alright, everyone has one or two things about their past that they don't want to talk about. Aren't you the same Rurouni? Isn't that why you became a Rurouni?" She asked. Her question threw me off guard but I just bowed my head.

"Something like that…" She probably saw my reaction to her question because she invited me to stay at her house. She already guessed that I had no spare money for things like an inn room but I declined. I could never place someone else to be responsible for me or my actions.

As I waved goodbye she stopped me, saying that she hadn't thanked me for saving her. I thought she looked absolutely adorable, struggling to say such nice things must have been hard for her. But, as a Rurouni, I told her not to worry about little things like apologizing. Thanks to her I got the information I wanted.

The Kiheikan Dojo, the place where the person who was posing me might be found. I met Miss. Kaoru only because I happened to be in the wrong town. I walked to the other town, hoping to find the imposter and stop his killing spree. When I reached the Dojo I confronted a man.

"Master Hiruma is out! Come back later." I was so sure that the Master of the Kiheikan Dojo would be called the 'Street Killer Battousai' but I guessed I was wrong until the man showed signs of hearing the name. Almost as if they were on cue, the other members of the Dojo came out of the darkness and surrounded me.

Miss. Kaoru was right. The Street Killer Battousai was here, in the Kiheikan Dojo. But as to where he was at the moment was unknown. I had no chose but to fight against the men that surrounded me, using the Sakaba to knock them all unconscious. It would have been better to kill them but I vowed to never take lives so recklessly.

The man who told me about his master being out confessed everything after I was done with him. Miss. Kaoru was in danger and I needed to go rescue her. When I arrived, everyone was surprised, even Miss. Kaoru. But then again, who would expect me to show up? I _am_ just a Rurouni after all.

A sword is a weapon. Kenjutsu is the art of killing. You can't cover its true meaning with pretty words. What Miss. Kaoru believes in is a Utopian ideal. She has never soiled her hands and thus why she believes so strongly about her father's motto.

But, that doesn't mean that Kenjutsu has to always be stained with blood. If it isn't too much to ask, I'd like it very much if everyone could accept her ideal as the true nature of Kenjutsu. I don't like to harm people but as the true Hitokiri Battousai I didn't think there would be a place for me in the new era.

I should have finished off the imposter when I had the chance. Miss. Kaoru wouldn't have gotten involved if I had and I regretted not dealing with him sooner. I find that there is no need to draw a sword recklessly but to save Miss. Kaoru is reason enough.

I do not like the name Battousai but I do not wish for anyone to use that name to wreck havoc on innocent lives. If someone poses as me I can not go on knowing that they are using that name to kill. I will not allow it.

I apologized to Miss. Kaoru. She was right when we spoke in the market. Everyone has one or two things about their past that they don't want to talk about. My past is one thing I wish to keep to myself for as long as possible…if that isn't too much to ask for.

I found myself growing attached to her as she asked me to stay with her. Not Hitokiri but as Rurouni. She might just have been the thing I was looking for. A warm place to be accepted for me, not as Hitokiri Battousai but as Hiruma Kenshin, Rurouni.

A few days later when Miss Kaoru and I went out to shop, we ran into some trouble. I was stopped for carrying a sword again but this time a group called The Sword-bearing Police challenged me to a fight. I refused at first but once they decided to put Miss. Kaoru in danger, along with the townspeople, I accepted their challenge.

I tried to negotiate with their leader but it seemed like the only thing he wanted to do was fight. I brought them down with ease and the townspeople thanked me for my valor. I only wished to protect them from corrupt officers and Miss. Kaoru from getting hurt because of me again. I ran into an old friend, the General of the strongest unit in the Emperor's Army, the Ishin Shishi, Yamagata Aritomo. He reoffered me a place among the others at the side of the Emperor.

I declined. I wished to no longer be known as the Hitokiri or do anything that would cause me to take another human life. Yamagata was very sad when he heard me so no and he tried to justify my actions from the past. But I knew above all that my actions, no matter for what reason, were unforgivable and I will never return to that life again.

Those who hated me for what I did, deserve to hate me but they are being suppressed by the government. What we fought for was to protect the world and build a world where people could pursue happiness. Not for the power and glory of the government.

Yamagata says that without government power, one sword can do nothing. But I believe that with one sword I can protect those around me. Especially Miss. Kaoru, who was kind enough to take me in to her home. My fighting for the Emperor day's are over. All I wish to do is protect those closest to me and not kill anymore.

Yamagata might not understand my reasoning for declining him. He might even think that he has lost a great ally, a warrior that he could count on when in battle. But I find that it is alright that he doesn't understand. He's better off not remembering the Hitokiri and serving his Emperor without a wavering thought. If we want this new era to flourish then we must allow it to grow or else it'll die off in its early stages.


End file.
